Hyde5: With record on line, didn't Shula have 2 more playoff wins?

1. Does Don Shula have two more wins than given credit for? And two playoff wins at that? This is a timely question, as Bill Belichick tied Don Shula in playoff wins by a coach last week (19) and could tie Tom Landry this weekend for the most playoff wins ever.

But Shula has two playoffs wins no one counts, as Dolphins public-relations chief Harvey Greene points out. They came when Shula coached Baltimore in the NFL Playoff Bowl, which as the consolation game of the NFL Championship was more aptly called the Runner-Up Bowl.

The games were considered playoff games at the time and played in the Orange Bowl. One of them became famous when Shula had no healthy quarterbacks and moved running back Tom Matte to quarterback, giving him a wristband with the plays on it.

In some ways, it’s easier to accrue playoff wins in this era, as there are double the post-season games a team could play. On the other hand, the league has double the number of teams in the league, making the post-season more difficult to make.

Bottom-line: Should Shula have 21 playoff wins?

And wouldn't that stretch his all-time wins record to 349?

2. Here’s my favorite Wes Welker story from a column I wrote when he was with the Dolphins. He’s obviously gone on to fame and fortune. But as an undrafted pick-up from San Diego, Welker was scratching his way on the Dolphins. He told the story of talking with a woman in a bar. They hit it off. At one point, she asked what he did for a living.

“I play for the Dolphins,’’ the 5-9 Welker said.

She looked at him as if to wonder why he’d pull that line on her. She didn’t say a word and stood up and left.

3. It's still a debate if Welker should have been released by New England. Maybe the Patriots didn't trust his health, and for good reason, as his concussion problems have shown causing him to miss three games at the end of the year. His stats: 13 games, 73 catches for 778 yards (10.7 average), 10 touchdowns, and 49 first downs. Julian Edelman's stats in New England as Welker's replacement are: 16 games, 105 catches for 1,056 yards (10.1 average), six touchdowns and 49 first downs.

4. Here's why one guy wins and another is fired today: Bill Belichick stole cornerback Aqib Talib and Lagarrette Blount from the Tampa Bay's Greg Schiano. Talib and a seventh-round pick were sent to the Patriots for a fourth-round pick in November of 2012. Blount was traded for Jeff Demps and a seventh-round pick last off-season. Schiano paid the cost. But you also have to look at how those inexpensive pick-ups would've looked on the Dolphins.